Whales

Argentina Underwater Photography Whales

New Photos of Southern Right Whales in Argentina, Eubalaena australis

After a three year break, I made it back to Peninsula Valdes with friends in September for another visit with Southern Right Whales (Eubalaena australis). There were two sessions planned and I was looking forward to both. The first was filled with sunny weather, inquisitive whales and generally great conditions.…

Phil CollaNovember 8, 2022

Argentina Underwater Photography Whales

Courtship and Mating Groups Among Southern Right Whales

Courting groups of whales are spectacular. I have seen many humpback courting groups (aka, active groups, or heat runs, although the latter is misleading) in Hawaii and, at one time in my life, was tasked with getting in the water to determine who the focal animals were (female and male)…

Phil CollaOctober 26, 2022

Argentina Whales

Southern Right Whale White Calf, Peninsula Valdes, Argentina

About 5% of southern right whale calves are born white, although that is a rough statistic which varies from year to year, study to study and which population is studied (Argentina or South Africa). A white calf is not an albino though, since it lacks the pink eyes of true…

Phil CollaOctober 25, 2022

Underwater Photography Whales

The Greatest Muscles in the Animal Kingdom

You think you've got horsepower in your Lamborghini? You got nothing compared to what Mother Nature has conjured in the great whales. Having evolved to roam the open ocean their entire lives, sometimes at considerable speed, the great whales have the most impressive drive train in the animal kingdom, capable…

Phil CollaMay 2, 2020

Argentina Underwater Photography Whales

Underwater Photos of Southern Right Whales, Eubalaena australis

In September 2019 I was able to visit Puerto Piramides, a town on Peninsula Valdes on the coast of Argentina, to photograph Southern Right Whales (Eubalaena australis). This had been a dream of mine since the 90s when I was active in humpback whale research in the Hawaiian Islands. One of…

Phil CollaMarch 10, 2020

Hawaii Humpback Whale

Humpback Whale Underwater Bubble Streaming Among Rowdy Groups in Hawaii

During the years I worked for Dan Salden and Hawaii Whale Research Foundation studying humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) in Hawaii, we usually looked for surface active groups ("rowdy groups") when possible, since these groups offered the greatest potential for collecting the social affiliation information that was the focus of Dan's…

Phil CollaMay 7, 2016

Alaska Antarctica Bald Eagle California Fiji Hawaii Mexico Ocean Sunfish Penguin Surf Underwater Photography

Seven of my Favorite Images #challengeonnaturephotography

In December a Facebook "challenge" was making the rounds named #challengeonnaturephotography. One of my favorite underwater photographers, Allison Vitsky Sallmon, nominated me to give it a try, and these are the seven images I plucked from my files to share. Each bears a special place in my personal history of…

Phil CollaJanuary 16, 2016

San Diego

Paradise in February: San Diego

President's Weekend was nice here. The rest of the country is freezing, yup that's pretty bad. Southern California is in the midst of a bad drought and our Sierra Nevada is missing its usual snowpack which is going to hurt in the coming months, but at least the warm winter…

Phil CollaFebruary 18, 2015

Marine Life Sea Lion

Killer Whales (Orca) attacking California Sea Lion

I saw Wild Kingdom in action yesterday: killer whales preying upon California sea lions. Classified as Biggs transient orcas, these individuals are well known (CA51) for terrorizing other marine mammals along the Southern California coast. "Biggs transients" are one of four distinct populations (some insist they are species) of killer…

Phil CollaFebruary 9, 2015

Blue Whale Icons Underwater Life Underwater Photography

Blue Whale Full Body Photo

Blue Whale Full Body Photo For more, see Blue Whale Photos, Balaenoptera musculus I made my first underwater photo of a blue whale (Balaenoptera musculus) about 18 years ago, and over the intervening years I have struggled to make a perfect image of an entire blue whale, rostrum to fluke,…

Phil CollaJanuary 29, 2015

Aerial Photography

Wildcoast Annual Report 2014

The Wildcoast annual report for 2014 has my aerial photograph of a mother and calf gray whale pair swimming off the coast of California on the cover. Wildcoast is a great environmental organization. Cheers and thanks for looking!

Phil CollaJanuary 11, 2015

Islas Coronado Mexico Underwater Life

Whales at the Coronado Islands, Mexico

Whales visit the Coronado Islands in Mexico throughout the year. During winter months, gray whales (Eschrichtius robustus) pass by the islands, first southbound and a few months later traveling north, during their annual migration between Baja California and the Bering Sea. Fin whales (Balaenoptera physalus) and blue whales (Balaenoptera musculus)…

Phil CollaFebruary 12, 2014

Aerial Photography

Gray Whale Aerial Photos, Eschrichtius robustus, California

Gray whales (Eschrichtius robustus) migrate from the Bering Sea in Alaska down the west coast of the United States to the "calving lagoons" of Baja California. (A small number of grays whales also live in the extreme western Pacific.) This migration is considered the longest of any mammal. Calves are…

Phil CollaJanuary 27, 2014

Beautiful Views of San Diego Blue Whale Humpback Whale

Whale Triple Header: Blue Whales, Humpback Whales, Fin Whales, Del Mar, California

GREAT WHALE TRIPLEHEADER. What's that you say? Read on... This is a photograph of a humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) performing a peduncle throw (or "tail throw", or "tail lob"). The man who taught me most of what I know about whales, friend and whale researcher Dr. Dan Salden, often referred…

Phil CollaJanuary 17, 2013

Humpback Whale

Humpback Whale Breaching Near San Diego

Humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) are found throughout the worlds oceans, but seeing them near San Diego is somewhat unusual. Conventional wisdom has it that humpback whales in California are most often seen in the Channel Islands near Santa Barbara, as well as the central coast near Monterey Bay. However, if…

Phil CollaAugust 7, 2012

Hawaii Humpback Whale Icons Ocean Realm

Heat Run: Humpback Whale Behavior Photos

Humpback whale underwater photography. Originally titled "Heat Run", this appeared in Ocean Realm Magazine in April 1995, the first of a series of articles I authored for Ocean Realm in the '90s. This blog post is now available as a downloadable PDF article. Each winter North Pacific humpback whales (Megaptera…

Phil CollaNovember 1, 2009

Aerial Photography Blue Whale California Wildlife

Blue Whale Aerial Photo

This blue whale (Balaenoptera musculus), was photographed offshore of the coast of Baja California, Mexico: Keywords: blue whale photos, Balaenoptera musculus

Phil CollaSeptember 20, 2006

Blue Whale California San Diego Wildlife

Photo of a Blue Whale Fluke

Check out the fluke on this blue whale (Balaenoptera musculus) , fringed with barnacles and sporting what is almost certainly an orca bite on the left lobe: See also whale fluke photos.

Phil CollaJuly 2, 2006

Blue Whale California Wildlife

Summer Is Here Now

Summer has not officially started until I have seen a blue whale. My first blue whale photo of 2006: I got out recently with Mike Johnson and we saw a few blue whales.

Phil CollaJune 22, 2006

Hawaii Humpback Whale Underwater Life Wildlife

Photos of Humpback Whale Bubble Displays

Humpback whales are famous for their use of bubbles to "net" prey, especially in Alaska where coordinated bubble netting among groups of humpback whales is often seen. However, humpbacks also commonly use bubble displays and air releases in their social interactions in warm waters. It is thought the these bubble…

Phil CollaJune 23, 2005

Environmental Problems Humpback Whale Marine Life Ocean Sunfish

Photos of Boat Strikes of Marine Animals

Boat strikes of marine animals are increasingly common, for obvious reasons. It is disappointing to observe a marine animal severely or mortally wounded by a collision with a boat. We have encountered several marine animals bearing unmistakable boat propeller scars: North Pacific humpback whale showing extensive scarring, almost certainly from…

Phil CollaMarch 8, 2005

Hawaii Humpback Whale

Photos of Humpback Whale Pectoral Fin Displays

Humpback whales, Megaptera novaeangliae, are known for displaying a wide range of surface behaviors (i.e., behaviors seen from above water), such as breaching, head lunging, tail lobbing and spyhopping. Among these behaviors, pectoral fin displays are some of the most interesting. Humpback whales have the longest pectoral fins of all…

Phil CollaFebruary 11, 2005

Blue Whale Natural World Underwater Life

The Blue Whale, Largest Animal On Earth

The blue whale, Balaenoptera musculus, is the largest animal ever to have lived on Earth. Depending on which expert is cited, blue whales once attained lengths of 100 to 120 feet (32 meters) and have weighed up to 160 tons (145 metric tonnes). Blue whales are found throughout the worlds…

Phil CollaFebruary 4, 2005

New Photos of Southern Right Whales in Argentina, Eubalaena australis

Courtship and Mating Groups Among Southern Right Whales

Southern Right Whale White Calf, Peninsula Valdes, Argentina

The Greatest Muscles in the Animal Kingdom

Underwater Photos of Southern Right Whales, Eubalaena australis

Humpback Whale Underwater Bubble Streaming Among Rowdy Groups in Hawaii

Seven of my Favorite Images #challengeonnaturephotography

Paradise in February: San Diego

Killer Whales (Orca) attacking California Sea Lion

Blue Whale Full Body Photo

Wildcoast Annual Report 2014

Whales at the Coronado Islands, Mexico

Gray Whale Aerial Photos, Eschrichtius robustus, California

Whale Triple Header: Blue Whales, Humpback Whales, Fin Whales, Del Mar, California

Humpback Whale Breaching Near San Diego

Heat Run: Humpback Whale Behavior Photos

Blue Whale Aerial Photo

Photo of a Blue Whale Fluke

Summer Is Here Now

Photos of Humpback Whale Bubble Displays

Photos of Boat Strikes of Marine Animals

Photos of Humpback Whale Pectoral Fin Displays

The Blue Whale, Largest Animal On Earth

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